Midwest Regional Design Awards

Although Timothy Goodman may be a New York City guy now, that wasn’t always the case. He hails from Ohio, and took great pride in judging design from his home region. “I found the crop of work from the Midwest to be very bold, playful and honest,” Goodman says.

As he reviewed the entries, he pondered a few simple questions: Is it adventurous? Does it take risks? Is it original or is it just replicating a tired trend?

“At this point, how many times can we see the same style or idea re-skinned and reapplied?” he asks. “I want to see the designer’s voice, opinion and perspective. I want to see their willingness to push the envelope either visually or conceptually. I want to see and feel that unequivocally.”

What surprised him most was the sheer number of beer and whiskey labels among the entries. “Midwesterners like to drink,” Goodman jokes.

On the whole, he encourages all designers to look at graphic design as a practice—and not just as a profession—and to make work that matters to them. It’s when you keep this simple truth in mind that everything else will follow, he advises.

“The Precision Mobile is a modular kinetic sculpture, made of solid brass and stainless steel. This piece is purposefully designed for highlofted residential ceilings, hotels, restaurants and creative agencies.”

“As part of our 60 Seconds to SXSW campaign, we created postcards that flipped negative stereotypes about Detroit into compelling messages that celebrate the city, and passed them out at SXSW to build brand awareness for the agency while shining a positive light on the city of Detroit.”